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ANNEXATION OF HAWAII. 



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HON. JAMES H. DAVIDSON, 



OI^ \VISCOMSIN, 



HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 



Tuesday, June 14, 1898. 



W^VSHirsiOXOM. 

1898. 



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y r E E G n 

OF 

HON. JAMES H. DAVIDSON 



The House Laving iiiidev consideration the ,ioint resolution (H. Res. 'i50) to 
lirovide for annexing tlie Hawaiian Islands to the United States- 
Mr. DAVIDSON of Wisconsin said: 

Mr. Speaker: The subject under discussion, the annexation of 
Hawaii, is not a new one. For fifty years it has been before our 
people in one form or another, and during this time the leading 
statesmen and the best military and naval authorities of our 
country have expressed themselves in favor of the proposition. 
In 18o3 Secretary of State Marcy said: 

It seems to he inevitable that they [the Sandwich Islands] must come un- 
der the control of this Government. 

Prior to that time Webster, Buchanan, and Clayton had each 
expressed similar sentiments, while in later years Seward, Fish, 
and Blaine were of the same opinion. President Harrison was 
strongly in favor of annexation, and there is no question concern- 
ing the views of our present Chief Magistrate on this subiect. 
Captain Mahan, the well-known authority in naval affairs, says: 
From a military point of view, the possession of Hawaii will strengthen 
the United States. It is not practicable for any trans-Pacific country to in- 
vest our Pacific coast without first occupying Hawaii as a base. 

Chief Engineer Melville, of the Navy, says: 

Pearl Harbor is the sole key to the full defense of our western shore, anO 
that key should lie in our grasp only. 

Admiral Dupont said: 

It is impossible to estimate too highly the value and importance of the 
Sandwich Islands, whether in a commercial or military point of view. Should 
circumstances ever place them iu our hands, they would prove the most im- 
]3ortant acquisition Vv-e could make in the whole Pacific Ocean, an acqui-si- 
tion intimately connected with our commercial and naval supremacy m those 
seas. 

General Schofield, of the Army, says: 

It constitutes the only natural outpost to the defenses on the Pacific coast. 
I have likened that harbor to a commanding po.sition in front of a defensive 
line which an army in the field is compelled to occupy. The army must oc- 
cupy that advanced position and hold it at whatever cost, or else the enemy 
will occupy it with his artillery and thus dominate the main line. If wo do 
not occupy Pearl Harbor, our enemy will occupy it as a base from which to 
conduct operations against our Pacific coast. One of the greatest advan- 
tages of Pearl Harbor to us consists in the fact that no navy would bo re- 
quired to defend it. It is a deep, land-locked arm of the sea, easily defended 
by fortifications placed near its entrance, with its anchorage beyond the 
reach of guns from the ocean. The value of such a place of refuge and sup- 
plies for merchant marine and cruisers in time of war can hardly be over- 
estimated, yet the greatest value to us of that wonderful harbor consists lu 
the fact that its possession and adequate defense by us prevents the possibil- 
ity of any enemy using it against us. 

3530 3 



The logic of these statements is apparent when we remember 
that tliere is iu the Pacific Ocean, from the equator to Alaska and 
from the coasts of China and Japan to the American continent, 
but one place where a passing vessel can obtain supplies or enter 
for repairs, and that place is Hawaii. 

The expressions which I have quoted were made not when we 
were in the midst of a conflict with a foreign nation, but in a time 
of peace, when these eminent naval and military authorities and 
patriotic statesmen were looking to the perfection of our national 
defense, at which time they realized the importance of these 
islands as a strategic point from which the whole Pacific coast 
could be controlled. 

The events of the last few weeks have demonstrated the wisdom 
of their .iudgment and shown the necessity of our having control 
of these islands. 

No ship has j-et been constructed which can cross the Pacific 
Ocean and engage in actual combat and still be in a position to 
return to its original port for supplies. No hostile fleet can pos- 
sibly menace our Pacific coast without first obtaining control of 
Pearl Harbor, and we have found that the converse of this propo- 
sition is true— that it is impossible for us to send a fleet to the 
relief of Dewey at Manila. 7,000 miles from San Francisco, with- 
out having some place midway in that broad waste of waters 
where our vessels can enter for supplies and repairs and where 
our soldiers being thus transported may be permitted to land and 
be refreshed. 

Through the kindness of the people of that little Republic our 
soldiers have been granted this privilege, and our vessels have 
been able to make use of this harbor. 

That this is in violation of the laws of neutrality may be con- 
ceded, but there is a law higher than that of nations; it is the law 
of humanity, the law of God. 

It is the observance of this higher law which has prompted the 
people of that Republic to jeopardize their own interests and 
endanger even the very existence of their Grovernment in order 
that a favor might be extended to us. 

In our present difficulty with Spain the Republic of Hawaii 
stands alone, a single exception among the nations of the earth, 
the only one that has extended a helping hand to us. And why is 
this? Because for years the people of those islands were crushed 
beneath the despotism of a rotten kingdom, but now they are 
enjoying the blessings of freedom, and they appreciate, as do not 
the crowned kingdoms of the earth, how high and noble is our 
purpose in this war with Spain. They see in the Stars and Stripes 
a harbinger of freedom, a refuge and strength to suffering human- 
ity, and they gladly bid us enter. 

You who fail to see the necessity of the annexation of those is- 
lands at this time think what might have been the result had 
Dewey's attack at Manila resulted disastrously, and he been com- 
pelled" to turn back and traverse a distance of 7,000 miles before 
he could reach a harbor for repairs or for supplies. Had such 
l^een the result, instead of having a fleet, the pride of our nation, 
floating so majestically and victoriously in the harbor of Manila, 
those ships would ere this have been but broken hulks, dead, de- 
serted derelicts, drifting aimlessly in that broad sea. 

The principal argument of the gentlemen who ai'e opposed to 
this proposition is that it is unconstitutional. There are cer- 
3533 



tain geutleinen in this Chamber before whose ej'es the Constitu- 
tion ever stands an impassable barrier to everything which looks 
to the advancement of civilization or to the progress of our country. 

Some of these gentlemen years ago failed to understand aright 
the terms of the Constitution, and it seems the passing years have 
not added wisdom to their understanding. Sufficient answer to 
the objection is that the same question has been raised five times 
during our national history. It has been brought forward every 
time a proposition for the acquisition of territory has been pre- 
sented and as often has it been passed upon and overruled, so that 
it now has no standing in court. 

The people and the Government of Hawaii have offered these 
islands to us. To accept their offer will not take from the Treas- 
ury of the United States one dollar nor from the American people 
one drop of blood. Failing to accept their offer, we are forever 
estopped from objecting if a like offer should at some future time 
be made to and accepted by some other nation. 

We can not be heard to say that we will not annex these islands 
ourselves and in the same breath that we' will not permit any 
other nation to annex them. 

It is well known that within a century these islands have at four 
different times been possessed by other nations, and their present 
independence has only been attained after a heroic struggle. The 
future stability of this little Republic is uncertain. Standing 
alone, without wealth, without population, it can hardly hold its 
own against more powerful nations, and should we fail to control 
or protect it, it will undoubtedly soon be acquired, peacefully or 
otherwise, by some of the great powers. 

I am opposed to maintaining a protectorate over any country. 
Our nation should never assume the responsibilities of another 
nation except under such conditions as will enable us to dictate 
the laws of that nation and compel their observance. 

I do not profess to be versed in military affairs. Whether the 
annexation of these islands is a militarj' necessity at this time is 
a question, however, upon which I am willing to accept the opin- 
ion of military authorities, and when we know tliat not only the 
best military authorities have expressed themselves in favor of 
annexation, but that our present Chief Magistrate believes that 
in order to successfully prosecute the present war it is necessary 
to secure these islands as a base of supplies, I for one am j)repared. 
to accept their judgment and vote accordingly. 

I propose to support the President in everything which he be- 
lieves is necessary for the successful prosecution of this war, and 
I know that in so doing I represent the united sentiment of the 
lieople of my district. 

This question of aimexation has for fiftj' years been an open and 
debatable one; but it seeuis to me that when Admiral Dewey's 
guns awoke the echoes in Manila Harbor on the morning of the 1st 
of May, they ' ' moved the previous question '" upon this proposition, 
and from that time debate has not been in order. 

Prior to that date our peoi^le undoubtedly were divided upon 
this proposition, but I believe they are no longer divided. They 
realize Uie necessity of the acquisition of these islands at the pres- 
ent time, in order that the boys who have gone from your town 
and from mine, from every hamlet over this broad land, to defend 
the honor and the integrity of the nation and to bring relief to 
suffering humanity may find within that broad expanse of water 
3530 



6 

Bome place where their feet may touch mother earth, where they 
can breathe the pure air, and where the vessels bearing them may 
be supplied with coal and bread and water, to the end that their 
expedition may result successfully and to the honor of the Amer- 
ican people. 

But there is another reason why these resolutions should be 
adopted. Year after year there has come to us from across the 
seas rumors of trouble in those Eastern countries. Year after 
year there have been indications that the great powers might be- 
come involved in a war over their Eastern possessions. Japan, 
which lately surprised the world by its defeat of China, is one of 
the coming nations of the world, and with its magnificent navy 
and with the energy and progress of its citizens it will soon be- 
come a strong competitor of England, of Russia, and of Germany. 

China as a nation has been dead for years. It has not kept pace 
with the advancement of the nations around it. It may revive 
and progress. Failing to do this, however, this great Empire will 
soon be a thing of the past. Its territory will be divided among 
the great powers, each portion being subject in all its trade rela- 
tions to the power which controls it. 

Ours is a nation of peace and progression. Its broad acres are 
now all under cultivation. Its cities are black with the smoke of 
furnaces, its workmen busily employed in the manufacture of 
every article capable of construction. To continue this condition 
of things oxir people, our manufacturers, our farmers must seek a 
foreign market. If we are to furnish employment for the brain and 
brawn and muscle of our mechanics, we must find a market for 
the waresthey construct. If those engagedin agricultural pursuits 
are to prosper, a market must be found for their surplus grain. 

The Latin- American countries and the great Eastern coimtries 
offer the best opportunities for acquiring such a market. Our 
competitors will be England, Germany, Austria, and Russia. To 
successfully compete with them we must take advantage of every 
opportunity wliich offers. Within the next few years our people 
will awake to the necessity of the construction of the Nicaragua 
Canal and its control by this Government. That canal, when 
completed, will become the gateway through which will pass the 
commerce of the world. Then Cuba and Puerto Rico will stand 
as sentinels guarding its eastern approach, while on the west will 
be the impregnable fortress of Pearl Harbor, a strong factor in 
shaping and controlling the commerce of the Western Continent. 
Being a part of oiir possessions, Hawaii's trade will be entirely 
subject to our control. Not only this, but every vessel passing in 
either direction across the Pacific must touch at this point before 
reaching its destination. 

With these islands under our control, our trade relations will 
be established and our commercial interests in the East forever 
protected. 

It can not be said that the policy of oiir nation has been one of 
territorial acquisition. We have not aspired to the attainment 
of colonial possessions. The islands of the seas have not been to 
us prizes toward which we have looked with longing eyes, but we 
have, from time to time, acquired such territory as seemed to be 
necessary for the best interests of our nation; and should these 
resolutions prevail and Hawaii be annexed, it does not necessarily 
follow, nor is it possible, that such action will have any influence 
upon the future. It stands a single and independent proposition, 
3530 



to be cletevmined upon its merits and in such a manner as will bo 
for the best interests of our country. 

t^ome gentlemen are loud in their declarations that the war in 
which we are engaged has now become one of conquest and that 
the policj' of our nation from now will be one of territorial acqui- 
sition. These statements have been made with i-eckless disregard 
for acciiracy and truth, and there is absolutely nothing to sub- 
stantiate th(?m. The possession of the Philippines, the possession 
of Puerto Rico, the possession of Cuba, yea, even the possession of 
Madrid itself, if these should finally be possessed by American 
armies, will be but incidents of a war commenced for the cause of 
humanity and prosecuted only for that purpose. 

A war can not be successfully prosecuted and every movement 
confined ta the immediate scene of action. In order tiiat this war 
may be successfully waged, the power of the enemy must be weak- 
ened and destroyed. Her fleets must be driven from the seas, her 
forts must be destroyed, her armies captured, her territory ac- 
quired. These are the lines along which the war must be waged, 
and these are the lines along which the present Administration 
will prosecute, vigorously and effectively, the present war until 
the Kingdom of Spain is ready to cry, '-Hold, enough!" 

The question as to what will be done with the territory acquired 
by our armies during the present war is no part of the subject 
now under discussion. The disposition of all such territory will 
be determined when the war is over. The Philippines are now, 
or soon will be, entirely under the control of the American Army, 
The flag of freedom, the Stars and Stripes, will float where once 
floated the red and yellow of the Spanish Kingdom. Whether 
the Stars and Stripes shall come down and the flag of despotism, 
of tyranny, and of treachery be again restored is a question which 
can safely be left to the American people for disposition at the 
proper time, without fear but what it will be settled right— right 
in the eyes of humanity, right in the eyes of God. 

The gentlemen upon the other side of this Chamber need have 
no fear of the future of this Republic. It is safe in the hands of 
the people, safe in the hands of those chosen by the people to ad- 
minister its affairs. 

Mr. Speaker, I am in favor of the adoption of these resolutions. 
Aside from the question of their commercial importance, it is 
sufBcient that the acquisition of these islands at this time is a war 
necessity. This being true, I believe we should acquire them. 

Our hearts, our hopes are with the boys who have gone to the 
front, and, whether their destiny be Cuba. Puerto Rico, or Manila, 
our every action should be for their best interests. Let us not 
hesitate, let us not put aside this opportunity of establishing a 
base of supplies midway between our own coast and the future 
battlefield whereon our soldiers will soon be engaged in actual 
conflict— a battlefield a portion of which will undoubtedly become 
for all time a sacred spot to which the longing eyes of many a 
mother will turn as she remembers that in that far distant land 
her son lies sleeping, his life given for the cause of humanity and 
for the preservation of his nations honor. [Applause.] 

353 J 



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